English

Verb

daddle ‎(third-person singular simple present daddles, present participle daddling, simple past and past participle daddled)

1. (intransitive, archaic or dialectal) To walk unsteadily; totter; dawdle
   • 1869, Thomas Collins, The life of the rev. Thos. Collins

     I had to wait an hour at the station for the coming of his train. It was passed pleasantly in reading, ' The Victory Won,' an interesting narrative of the salvation of a sceptical physician. When uncle arrived, he and I daddled along a pretty narrow lane.

2. To diddle (cheat)
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

     "Thunder!" he cried. "A week! I can't do that; they'd have the black spot on me by then. The lubbers is going about to get the wind of me this blessed moment; lubbers as couldn't keep what they got, and want to nail what is another's. Is that seamanly behavior, now, I want to know? But I'm a saving soul. I never wasted good money of mine, nor lost it neither; and I'll trick 'em again. I'm not afraid on 'em. I'll shake out another reef, matey, and daddle 'em again."

Derived terms

• diddle-daddle